Summary: The Imperial Prince gets shot. Part one of three.
Urgency
Wedge didn't see who managed to fire the shot.
He only heard the sound and then watched as all the Imperial's jumped in surprise, caught off guard, and pulled from whatever their urgent task had been prior. Their weapons came up and then they were rushing to find the prisoner among the captured Rebels who'd done it.
A lone figure in black stumbled forwards, going almost unseen by the officers rushing to do their jobs. Unseen except by one.
"Luke," Lord Vader said, lunging to grab his son by the shoulders and saving him just before he toppled over. There was such urgency in his tone that Wedge was completely caught by surprise. The Imperial Prince - Luke - looked up at him, a dribble of blood already seeping out of his mouth as he reached with one shaking hand to grab at Vader in return.
His knees tried to buckle and he should have fallen. Lord Vader was powerfully strong though, Wedge knew and he didn't let him fall. "D-dad," the Prince choked out, more blood spilling from his mouth.
Dad.
The parental title caught Wedge by surprise - he had never really thought of Lord Vader as a father before, even knowing that the man had a son. Someone that killed so freely didn't really come across as a family man. But there was urgency in every gesture now - urgency in his tone and the desperate words that he was speaking which Wedge almost didn't hear. Bound in binders and forced into a kneeling position, the most Wedge could do was watch, forgotten entirely in the wake of what was happening.
Another shot going off seconds later told him that the Imps found the shooter.
Lord Vader was barking orders and looked down, using one of his hands to peel the Prince's black robes back to look at the injury. It was awful - an actual hole ripped through his side, leaking bloody freely and quickly. It was a wound that would kill him if it wasn't dealt with quickly.
Some part of Wedge was grimly satisfied by that. One less problem to deal with. The other part of him was tired of war and bloodshed and this… this wasn't how he wanted to see it happen. This seemed wrong, somehow. It was a terrible scene - people were frightened, scrambling to try and help someone they obviously cared about and Wedge had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized that he was witnessing a father watching his son die.
"Hold on, Luke. Please hold on. I have you, I am right here," Vader kept repeating, over and over again and there was such terrible desperation in it that someone would have had to be a monster to not feel something for the grief being expressed.
A/N This mini-series is already complete and I'll post the next two parts every other day. Thanks for reading!